Corpse Party Fanfiction
by Carissanator3000
Summary: I decided it might be fun to make my own version of Corpse Party-Using my own characters. It DOES have a small amount of cussing, and since it's Corpse Party, it DOES have some mild gore, along with violence. So I suggest not reading if you're easily disturbed BTW, this is my very first fanfiction! Let me know what you thought of it 3 Thanks, -Carissanator3000


_(Hi! This is my first fan-fiction, so I hope it turns out okay! This is a fan-fiction of Corpse Party (Video game(s), anime series, manga), which I do not own in any way *I cannot stress this enough*, nor the characters, plot, or anything involved with it. Also, these are my own characters that I made up by myself, but if you want, I can do some stories with the real characters in the game / anime / manga! Thanks for understanding, and I hope you enjoy my very first fan-fiction! Also, I'd like to let you know that this is really long, before you start reading. You have been warned! This story DOES include some cussing, and gore and violence. Don't read this if you're easily disturbed, please!)_

**Chapter One: Willow's POV**

Never would I have thought that doing that stupid charm would do something like this. I'd come to this... place, wherever this was, what seems like an eternity ago. I was starving, and thirsty beyond belief. And apart from that, there was always this pounding in my head. I could hear the eerie laughter of children, yet this place was completely empty. Well, apart from the three friends I'd brought here. Everyone else that I'd managed to come across was dead. And I'd been alone this whole time. I didn't know how long I'd been here- at least a few hours. But it seemed like days.

I think... that maybe, there's a number of dead people a person's expected to see in their lifetime (yes, this is a Kurosaki reference), and in the past hour alone, I'd definitely passed that limit. I could literally (yes, as apposed to figuratively. I understand how many teens are currently overusing the word "literally", so don't be annoyed by my use of the word here if you for some reason get upset about that.)

This was hopeless. How was I supposed to survive this living Hell?!For the hundredth time, I pulled out my cell phone, which was almost out of battery. I'd tried this so many times, but I guess I was desperate enough to try it again. I was going to try and call for help, or pull up a map... or something! I dialed 9-1-1 as a last resort. But of course, I ended up with the same notification. There was no service. And then, my battery died. At the least convenient moment too!

I sighed and leaned against the wall in the hallway. What was this place?! I had no idea... the only thing that could possibly give me the slightest hint was that the signs on the walls were in Japanese, meaning I was most likely in Japan. Unfortunately, I could speak very little Japanese due to not paying any attention in class. I didn't want to sign up for Spanish or French, because I was far more interested in Japan. Whether it be the history, the anime, anything about it. I was planning to move there and be a voice actor for anime's and video games and stuff- looks like I wouldn't be able to fulfill that dream now that I was imprisoned in this confined space. So, if you haven't guessed by now, I'm an American. Though I have the slightest British accent due to my dad's side of the family. But enough about me, back onto the story.

Since my only hint as to where I was would be that there were signs and labels and stuff written in Japanese, I had to think and try to remember something else that could give me a clue as to where I was (or how I got here). But it seemed like I was brainwashed! I couldn't remember anything after that charm- Oh, wait...

The charm! How could I be so stupid? It was called "Sachiko Ever After", and "Sachiko" is a Japanese name meaning "Happy", unless I was mistaken. Well, this was definitely the exact opposite from happy. So now, the question was what did this paper charm have to do with my current surroundings? I wasn't the kind of person to be superstitious or anything, so thinking that the charm somehow magically brought me here was out of the question. Was kidnapping a possibility...? But what kind of a person would kidnap someone just to leave them in an abandoned school building?

It was time to get in "detective mode". That's just what I like to say when I'm finding clues and stuff- Yeah, I get it. I have the mind of a four year old. So, if the charm _did _have anything to do with the reason I was here, then possibly, I'd end up meeting up with the people I did this with. So that's Shane, Jess and Ryan. (I was the only girl in the group, because I have trouble bonding with other girls. I'm more of a tomboy, I guess you could say, and these were my three best friends. Well, my only friends, for that matter, but they were the only ones I'd ever wish for.)

Second thing to take into account was that the only people I'd found here were dead. Meaning, that if this was a result of kidnapping, then they were most likely still here. Or maybe some of these (such as the hanging people in the bathrooms) were suicide- but most seemed like murder. The natural reasons for the death of these innocents, the only reason I could think of was dehydration and starvation, so far. Or maybe the insanity of being so alone. I hoped I wouldn't die like that. Alone, hopeless, scared...

I had to get my mind off the subject, so I went on with finding "clues". When was the last time I'd seen someone? Well, that was when I did the charm with everyone. And before I knew it, there was some sort of an earthquake (though they're very uncommon where I live. I didn't even know that we had earthquakes in Arizona!), and then the floor collapsed out. Something strange about that was we were on the bottom floor of the hotel when we did the charm, and there was no basement. But still, everything under us was pitch black- looking like a black hole. And when we fell, we all became unconscious. Shane had been the first to fall, and myself, being stupid enough to run to the edge to save him, got knocked down by a light, which fell on me. Then after that, I didn't know what happened to Jess and Ryan. Maybe they managed to escape and get help? Or, maybe they fell along with me and Shane. But this whole thing still felt... so unrealistic. Like maybe I had been hallucinating- or dreaming? What if I got knocked out by the falling light? There was no black hole. I was just in a deep sleep, right?

My stomach growled at me, contradicting my idea of dreaming. Well, I guess I was just insane or something at this point- because this COULD NOT be real! It just... wasn't possible.

I'd been sitting alone in the same classroom, with these thoughts echoing in my head for far too long now. Any longer and I would probably start tearing my hair out. As much as I didn't want to wander back into the halls and catch sight of those corpses once again, I really didn't have much choice, at this point. I could either sit here and die of dehydration or something, or go out and at least _try _to find someone. Try to survive... I had to be strong. As far as I knew, at least Shane could still be here, maybe in the same situation I was in. So I slowly rose from where I was sitting, and walked to the door with sore feet.

I opened the door, and immediately felt the strange feeling that I was being watched. "H-Hello?" I called out with a hoarse voice. But there was no response. I coughed into my sleeve, and called out again with a much clearer voice: "Hello?"

I could hear faint footsteps. Someone was coming for me! Someone could help me- unless this was whoever kidnapped me! I cursed myself in my mind, before welling up the courage to call out again, "Thank goodness! I was thinking I was completely alone in this place-" But I was cut off when I saw who was there. It was a faintly glowing little girl, with long black hair (which was partially covering her face), and old fashioned red dress (which was dotted with stains, possibly made from blood, and also covered in small rips and tears) (dated about 30 years ago, maybe?), with pale grey skin, and cold grey eyes. She looked like she might cry. But why was she glowing?! She had faint dark lines on her neck, like those when someone's been... strangled, maybe? She was barefoot, too.

The glowing child walked up to me hesitantly, with fear in her eyes. But she also looked concerned, in a way. "Can you help me?" She said, holding back the tears forming in her eyes. She seemed just as scared as I was. And I had a thing for kids, too. I couldn't just leave the kid here!

"I-I don't know. Why are you here? Do you know what this place is?" I asked her, not quite sure what to say. I sounded hopeless, and to be honest... I was. I didn't think there was anything I could do to help the poor kid, but that didn't mean I wouldn't try.

She looked unsure, at first, but then answered, "I think I might know. This is a school, called Heavenly Host." She said.

Oh, well, she knew what the place was. That was a good start, "Heavenly Host? Where have I heard that name before...?" I asked, I remembered something like that. Where could that have came from? "I'll probably remember later... might I ask, what's your name?" I asked her. If I was going to be helping her out, it might be nice to at least know her name.

"My name's Sachiko." She said. She looked a little more like she trusted me, at least.

"Sachiko. That name... it was in the charm I did with my friends." I said, remembering at least that much.

She grew wide eyed for a moment, seeming startled, but then went back to her normal, tense state. "It's a common name in Japan." She said. "It means happy."

I nodded, "I thought so. You looked scared when I said that- is something wrong?"

She quickly nodded no, "Nuh-uh. I'm okay, I was just thinking about my friends. They're... they're all gone." She said with tears welling up in her eyes once more. It kind of broke my heart to see her that way, to be honest. Maybe I could get her mind off of it somehow.

"My name's Willow." I said, "I did this weird charm with some friends, and somehow ended up here. Do you know how you got here?"

Sachiko paused for a long moment. "No." She said surely.

I nodded, acknowledging what she said. "Do you know how to get out?" I asked. I was pretty sure her answer would be "no" once again, and I was correct. So, I went on and said something else: "Are you alone?" I asked. I felt bad asking, but if she knew anybody else here, that would be helpful to know. I was thankful to at least have one companion along with me, at least.

She nodded yes again, with the sadness returning to her eyes. I knelt down, and looked her in the eyes. I took her hands lightly in mine, and spoke quietly. "I'll stay with you, if you want me to. We can try and get out of here together." I promised. She was just a kid, she wouldn't stand a chance without someone else here. Plus, if she'd been wandering these halls too, then she must have seen the dead bodies. That would be more traumatizing to a child than to a high-school student, so I had a high respect for her to be strong enough to go through all of that- Nobody deserved that kind of torture!

But Sachiko looked down in response. "I can't leave." She admitted sadly. What did she mean? I just offered to help her... did she mean there was no escape? Or was it her in particular that couldn't get out of here...?

"What do you mean?" I asked with an eyebrow raised, feeling hopeless again. "I-I promise I'll try to help you-" I began, but she cut me off.

"Once you die here, you're trapped forever." She said with tears in her eyes once again. "My friends left without me." She said.

"T-They left you here?!" I asked, my heart breaking.

She nodded yes silently. But then something else registered in my mind- she said "Once you die here". My eyes widened, "D-D-D-Die?!" I stuttered. Did that explain the glow of her skin? The grey to her complexion? The blood on her dress? ...The marks on her neck?

It seemed like the way I reacted to "die" made her feel bad. She had the facial expression of when you've just lost something you love. I could also see pain in her eyes, as she apologized. "I'm sorry!" She said, covering her face with her hands. Was she apologizing for dying?! What?! She went on, "I didn't mean to scare you. I-I didn't think about how I said that. I'm so sorry!" So did this mean that she wasn't really dead, and that was some weird metaphor or something? After a long pause, she looked up again and spoke. "I've been alone here for years. Years ago, I came here with my friends by accident. And when they found out how to escape, they never told me. They said I didn't deserve to leave." She said, tears streaming down her face once again, "I was so sad... so I went to the bathroom and hung myself after they left."

And I found myself crying too at hearing this. "T-That's... horrible..." I said. "How could someone be so... so heartless?" I asked.

"I didn't know that when you die here... you feel the pain of death forever..." She cried. I found myself sobbing, feeling so much sadness for this girl I didn't even know. There was a question in the back of my mind, and I didn't know if it was too... emotional (not sure what word to use) to ask here. Not now... right? Well, I had to know.

"Does this mean..." I began, "Does this mean you're a... ghost?" I asked.

Her long silence answered my question. But... but how did I manage to hold her hands then?!

"Are you still going to be my friend?" She asked hopelessly.

Ghost or not, I wasn't going to leave a little girl alone to die- well, alone to suffer. She'd been through too much, with nobody to stand by her side. I wouldn't leave her side. Not for something as small as that. "Of course, Sachiko." I promised. "I'm not going anywhere. You have nothing to worry about."

A tiny smile appeared on her face, and I could see a beautiful spark of hope come into her eyes. She hugged onto me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder. I just knelt there, hugging her back, allowing her to cry. Sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on. Literally.

**Chapter Two: Shane's POV**

I felt the need to pinch myself. This HAD to be a dream! I was going crazy... I could feel some strange tingling feeling inside me whenever I saw those corpses scattered among the halls. I could still hear them screaming... I could still hear their voices. Their desperate cries for help, but nobody's there to save them from the misery. Though most would feel grief and sorrow for these poor souls, I couldn't help but laugh.

This didn't even sound like my laugh anymore. These weren't my thoughts. It was like every other second I was a different person. It reminded me of... multiple personality disorder, maybe? All I knew (as to right now, at least) was that I had to find Jess. He ran off last time I went all nuts like I just did a moment ago. I'd scared off my own friend. Not as a prank, not even on my own violation. It had been completely involuntary. What was happening to me?!

"I think I can tell you." A voice said from behind me. It was a girl's voice. The sound of a voice about my age- high-school (or somewhere around there). I turned around in surprise, seeing a teenage girl (as I suspected), with short-ish black hair and weird cloudy eyes. She was really pale, and wearing a school uniform that looked like something you would wear in some anime or something. So that hinted maybe she was Japanese...? "Huh?" I asked her, staring at the girl who'd appeared behind me. Finally, I wasn't alone!

She almost seemed to be staring through me. Right into my soul. Though her eyes were boring into mine, it was like she wasn't even looking at me. The girl's eyes were seeming to be unfocused, maybe? But then she began to speak... "Possession." She said. It was only one word, not a full sentence. But I still understood what she meant. She was saying that I was... possessed? Okay, that's just... incredibly stupid. Nothing like that happens. Not in the real world. Possession only happens on TV, those shows that try to scare you. But in real life? That was preposterous! Completely ridiculous. I didn't even realize how long it'd been since I'd spoken, which made her keep talking. "If you don't understand, I can explain." She suggested.

"Yeah, you do that." I said, sounding much more rude than I'd intended.

But she didn't seem to take notice in my tone, rather she went and did what I'd wanted. She told me what she was talking about: "You were wondering what was happening to you, with all those random moments of you thinking thoughts that weren't your own? Saying things involuntarily?" She asked, with an eyebrow raised, and a clever tone in her voice. How did she know that...?

And so I asked her how she could have possibly knew what I'd been thinking. Had I been talking out loud or something and not realized it? But her reply proved me wrong, "The spirits have been using you." she said. So did that mean she talked to spirits...? Great! I was talking to some loony chick... I was hoping to get real answers, not some crazy girl telling me that she talks to spirits or something! Seeing my annoyed expression, she went on, "They've been taking over your body, since they have none. You're a weak person." She said. Now, that really got to me. I was in no way weak.

"Who're you calling weak?!" I asked her, not caring about my rude tone anymore. I was on the football team, matter-of-fact!

"Spiritually, you're even weaker than your little friends," She said with a grin. Was she trying to get me riled up? Why the hell would that be a good idea? I could take this bi*** down any second if I wanted to! "You know who I'm talking about. Jess, Ryan, Willow... they're all in grave danger, you know." She smirked.

Okay, I could let go of her annoying-ness for a few seconds to find out what the hell she was doing. "What do you mean, how do you know my friends? Danger, from what? Where are they?!" I asked angrily.

"That anger's never going to get you anywhere." She said, looking down at her nails like a typical mean chick in the movies. I sighed angrily, and tried to calm my voice, asking once again, "Please. Please, tell me. Where are my friends? Can you get me to them?" I asked, begging for answers, "What are they in danger from? How did you find out about them?"

She sighed, "They're also in the building, but different dimensions. You'll never find them. I can't get them to you, but you can go ahead and try to find some means of jumping dimensions. They're in danger from many things: Themselves, others, everything, almost. Mainly the darkening. I found out about them by watching. I do that often- I've been here for a long time without being able to leave. It's the most... entertaining thing this place has to offer." She said, answering all of my questions at once, speaking very quickly.

"...Dimensions?" I asked. Okay, this was getting annoying. I didn't live in a syfy book, thank you very much.

She rolled her eyes as if I was supposed to know what she was talking about. "Most people have figured that much out by now." She commented under her breath, before letting me know what the hell she meant. "There are many dimensions of this same school. You can be standing at the same exact place in the building, but never see, hear or touch each other. No contact whatsoever, unless you manage to cross the space between the dimensions. You can also call the dimensions 'spaces' if you prefer, since they ARE closed spaces. I warn you, it's very difficult to cross the dimensions, though, because you must appease the three main ghosts to do so. But just so that you don't get your hopes up, I'd like to inform you that there is no way for you to actually escape this place. But finding your friends would be an achievement... you would at least die together. And that alone is something worth fighting for." She said almost mechanically. Like she'd said it a hundred times before this one. This was taking a while to settle in my mind.

"S-So Willow's here too?! And Jess, and Ryan?!" I asked in shock. They were all here... and I had to appease ghosts to save them? What the hell? "You-You've gotta be kidding me. This is all... insane! You're insane! Okay?! Get out of here, before I kill you, you dumb bi***!" I shouted. Once again, not my words.

She grinned. "If you say so," She said, and started to fade away. Literally, her body was disappearing. I had to do something! "Wait!" I commanded. "I didn't mean to say that! That was the possession! Please, come back!" I pleaded, but she just faded away, grinning.

And I was alone again.

**Chapter Three: Jess's POV**

It had only been a few minutes, I think, since I'd ran away from Shane. He'd gone completely insane, laughing at corpses, threatening to murder me... and Willow. That was going too far.

We hadn't found her- or Ryan yet. But... I was just so worried about Willow. I'd never admitted it, but I was... in love with her. I'd known it ever since I'd met her, but... well, I couldn't just... tell her! That would be so embarrassing! She had feelings for Ryan anyways. People say "How do you know that? Maybe you're wrong!", but I know for a fact that she does. And I have my reasons, too. For one, she has his name doodled on her math notebook. Two... she told me so. The thing is, when you're best friends... you kind of tell each other everything without even noticing, at first. Or at least we do. So before long, we know pretty much everything about each other. All of each others fears, secrets, pleasures, everything. And me, I don't mind her knowing. Because, well... Because I love her. But Shane's already in love with her, and he's always after her. But she isn't into the "violent" type, as she told me one time. He can be a real jack***, to be honest. Maybe he thinks it's a good way of flirting, but someday he'll have to realize that nobody likes being pushed around and pressured into doing stupid things. For some reason, though, Willow's too nice to discard Shane as a "friend", which leads me to thinking she might like him. Whether I know it or not. Because since I know for a fact she likes Ryan, and she possibly likes Shane (for some reason), I was too wimpy to ask her out. Or at least tell her how I felt.

Lost in thought like this, I tripped over something. Or _someone_. Crud! I scurried back up to a standing position, and looked behind me to see what I stepped on. And what I saw was a halfway decomposed corpse, with the eyes gouged out, and maggots crawling all over. Inside the mouth, nose, ears, everything. I felt like I was gonna throw up just looking at it- or maybe it was the putrid smell of rotting flesh. It was horrifying, yet somehow I couldn't look away. I felt like if I took my eyes off of it, then maybe it would stand up and sneak up on me or something. I had irrational thoughts like this sometimes... but usually I had Willow by my side to comfort me. She'd tell me I was being ridiculous and call me a wuss, and I'd reject the idea so quickly that it sounded like a lie. But then... she'd laugh. She'd give me quick hug, and assure me that we would be fine.

So I kept her in my mind. She was what was worth living for in this hellhole, so I would have to survive. I could save her, bring her back home- to our own world, and I could be her hero.

Even though deep down I knew this was all just a fantasy, that I would die in the end, I decided to make it my plan. I'd stay alive for Willow. And I would save her too.

I kept her face in my mind. Looking back at all our memories, I shut my eyes as tight as I could. I let her voice flood my mind. Her laugh, her smile. I could feel my confidence rising, as I clenched my fists into tight little balls before opening my eyes, ready to go and find the one on my mind. But what lie before my eyes made me jump so hard that I fell right on my ass. "G-G-G-GHOST!" I screamed. Well, there goes my confidence! Hovering slightly above the corpse, was a faintly glowing silhouette of a teenage boy. With the eyes gouged out, just like the corpse beneath it. No doubt this was the ghost of the body that lay dead before me. Even without eyes, I could see the sadness in the figure's face as his image became more clear. He started talking, with an echo-ey voice. Kind of what you'd expect in the movies... Never would I have expected a horror movie to be so similar to real life. "Hush..." He whispered, "Hush, and shush... for the girl in red may be listening..."

"...G-Girl in...red?" I asked. Was I hallucinating or something?! But this... this seemed far too real to be something like that. I heard that sometimes you could have very realistic dreams, but I'd never had dreams. Or at least none that I remember. I just kind of see colors and stuff while I sleep... that's not abnormal, is it? Damn, I was getting off track. I had to focus!

"Your friend is in grave danger! The one who occupies your mind... the one which keeps you going." The ghost said in an eerie voice. Was I literally supposed to accept that as reality?! For one thing, how did he know about Willow? For another thing... how the hell was he reading my mind?! How did he know about who I was thinking of?! That was just... insane!

"D-Don't get any closer!" I begged the ghost in fear. I was purely and utterly terrified, and I wasn't doing well at hiding it. To most, I was a bit of a coward. Though I did have what really counted, when you really "get down to it." I had a good, strong heart.

The ghost paused for a long moment, and then spoke again, "I was sent to help you," he continued.

"H-Help me?" I asked. Then I thought of his exact wording again: "Y-You were _sent? _Sent by who?" I stuttered. I must have sounded like a complete baby for all the stuttering in my voice. But I wasn't good at hiding fear in the first place.

The ghost nodded in response. "...You knew me once." He said. This was really starting to freak me out. The empty, bloody holes where his eyes should be were really freaking me out. There were streams of dried blood which had once ran down the boy's face, resembling tears. But since it was brownish - red in color, that lead me to the inference that it was possibly the effect of him crying as a ghost without eyes?

My eyes widened. I didn't even vaguely remember this person. Maybe it was the fact that he had no eyes. "Knew you?" I asked unsurely. Maybe _he _was the delusional one. Because I was 100% confident that I had never met this boy in my life. I made sure to take in his features (the ones that weren't missing, at least), to be sure whether or not I knew who this was. So a boy slightly smaller than I was, both in weight and height. He had a genuinely younger looking face, but something about him made him seem more mature. Possibly it was is overall sadness, or maybe he'd just been dead- or _undead _for a long time now?

Seeing his grotesque face (not his face, but what happened to it...), I started to think of what might happen to Willow if I left her alone for too long. How did I know she wasn't... gone already?! I started to have a slight panic attack, but then I heard the ghost reply, pretty much "zapping" me back to reality.

"Used to." He said sadly. "Remember this...?" He asked, holding up a wrinkled old photograph... of me and him. It seemed like it had only been taken a few days ago. Actually, I remember wearing that exact same shirt just yesterday! ...And now, with his eyes showing, I realized they looked much like mine. In both shape and color. We looked like we could be related!

"Vaguely." I admitted, it was taken in my own school, just yesterday, looked like.

The ghost boy frowned. "When you die here, you're completely erased from the real world." He said. "You don't remember me, but we're brothers, Jess!" The boy cried, with dark brownish red streaming down his face once more. And at hearing him say this, I remembered it all.

**Chapter Four: Ryan's POV**

Running, running, running. It's practically all I'd been doing ever since I'd arrived at his cursed place. My unsteady footsteps echoed in my head like a musical rhythm, beating against the floor. One foot after another. But not only was I running, I was being chased. Someone was behind me, with the same rhythm that I had. Somehow, their footsteps synced exactly with mine.

I was running from my shadow.

I was running from myself.

I was running from my past- what I had done.

Killing someone?! How could I have done something so... so vulgar?! So cruel? I remember the young boy's screaming as I ended his life with my very own hands, wringing the life from his helpless little neck. And even though I felt bad... I found myself laughing quietly. A short chuckling sound passed through my lips, as I leaned against the wall. Even though it was horrible, of course, what I'd done... it had felt... good. That brand new feeling of being in control. I had full control of whether that boy could live or die! I stopped myself from thinking such horrible things and mentally cursed myself for letting those thoughts come into my head. But... but every time I'd gotten a chance to see one of these corpses, a random feeling of glee came over me. Like I was in some sort of a Heaven- yet, a Heaven for insane people...

...What would Jess have thought if he'd seen me do that? He'd tell me I was wrong. What if Shane saw? He'd beat me up, and tell me I deserved it. What would Willow do...? She'd run away in terror. I could just see what would've happened if someone I knew- one of my own friends had seen the horrible things I had just done. But that feeling... it was addicting. Like a drug. I'd killed two innocents so far, with no regrets. As long as I reassured myself of how much better it felt, I knew I was okay with it. But I knew one other thing. I was _not _in control of myself. I knew deep down that I had to stop, but I tried to push those feelings away. The only way to stop these feelings was to...

**Chapter Five: Shane's POV**

I heard agonizing screaming and the sound of shattering glass from the hallway just outside of the room I was in. I'd been trying for too long to find a way to "cross the dimensions" now. That screaming distracted me from my "quest" to save my friends... I couldn't just sit there and ignore it! I had to do something- so I ran out into the hall to see what had happened. A window was shattered, and I leaned over and looked through the broken hole in the glass to see Ryan- MY FRIEND RYAN lying dead, on the ground.

I was too late to save him. Though I hadn't truly cried for so long, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I'd just lost someone. Really, truly lost him. 100%. It wasn't like when someone stopped being your friend, because in that case, at least they're still around... But he was really gone. My own friend, someone I'd grown up with. I'd spent the last three years of my life with him! And yet I'd never even truly gotten to know him. I didn't ever find out his middle name, or his favorite movie. I never learned his birthday, or what he wanted to be when he grew up. Why was I so stupid?! Why didn't I spend more time with him?! Why... why wasn't I there for him before he had the chance to kill himself?

Who knew if I would be able to save Willow?! Well, and Jess? I could hear that annoying, creepy girl from before's voice, trying to bring me down. "You can't do it," She said, with a confident tone. God, I hated people like that.

I bit back the tears forming in my eyes, and went on my way. I couldn't stop here... not now. Not until I'd saved my two friends left. Especially Willow.

I know, it sounds conceded to want to save the one you're in love with more than one of your best friends, But if I was honest with myself, then I knew that that's what anybody would do in this situation. Or at least they'd think so. Because if you think about it, you only fall in love once. I'd known Willow for five years now, ever since sixth grade. And I loved her ever since the day I met her. Her tomboyish, funny, cute personality... she could be awkward at times, but I found that attractive. Like when she'd play with her short, brownish-red hair whenever she was nervous. Or how she always had a clever comeback in an argument, that would leave you stumped to find something better to say. Her singing voice was amazing, too, but she didn't do that anymore. Not since that day in seventh grade in band class at school, when she was forced to sing by that dumb teacher. You see, when she's alone, confident, she sings like an angel. But in front of people, she freaks out. She got made fun of that day, and the teacher even said "Never mind," after she sung only a few lines of the song.

What a bi***.

Most people think of me as a bit "rude" or sometimes even "violent", but around her, I feel... different. I act nicer, whether people notice it or not. I'm overall more polite, which is a reason I try to stay around her as much as possible. Well, that, and the fact that I'm completely and utterly in love with her. And she knows it too.

Wow. I was such a conceded person! I was thinking about my very own love life when my friend had just committed suicide. I know, I'm a scatterbrain. I lost my train of thought easily... but this was the worst moment for something like that.

"S-Shane?" A tense voice asked. Sounded like... but no, it couldn't be him. I just saw him out the... what?! I turned around in shock to see if this was really who I was thinking it was, but I saw nobody was there. I felt myself ease up, deciding that it was just my mind playing a prank on me. But then I saw a head peek out from behind the door frame. It was... it was... it was RYAN.

I almost screamed. My face went pale, and my heart skipped a beat. Ryan was faintly glowing... and just barely hovering the slightest bit. But the bottom of his feet still managed to touch the ground with every step. "R-R-R-R-Ryan?!" I stuttered, backing away as I spoke. I almost tripped over my own feet- a number of times. I definitely wasn't living up to my "tough guy" reputation here, but I didn't really care. Not in this situation, at least!

"D-Don't be scared!" Ryan's... ghost insisted. "It's me!" He promised.

"That's what's scaring me!" I admitted, "YOU'RE DEAD."

He paused with a frown. I guess he had been hoping for a different reaction. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"S-Sorry?! YOU BETTER BE! You scared me half to death! How the hell are you still alive- you're a g-ghost, aren't you?! What the hell, man?!" I asked, running my words together by accident. "Do you have any idea how horrible I felt when I saw your corpse?!" I shouted. "What are you even doing here?! Does this mean there's seriously no afterlife?! No Heaven, no Hell?!" I asked frantically. Weird, I wasn't even religious! I have no idea why I was thinking things like that at a time like this, because I knew little about religion in the first place.

...I didn't mean to say that. But the moment I did, Ryan's face fell. "I came to warn you. Don't fall into the darkening, Shane." He pleaded.

"Darkening...?" I asked. For some reason, I seemed to be getting used to this whole "talking to ghosts" thing. I had a feeling I'd have to be doing that quite a lot now. But I didn't expect that I'd have to be talking to my own friend this way. "What the hell is darkening?! Why am I supposed to know all of these things?! Wait- why do _you _know about this stuff?!" I asked, talking so fast I could hardly understand myself. Ryan seemed to be in a hurry. "Darkening is what happens to you here. Everything you see here, each corpse, each death-note, each ghost... it all adds into your darkening." He said. I didn't know what to say, to be honest. "...I understand." I said unsurely.

"I know you don't, but it's very nice of you to try." Ryan said. I almost laughed at his Doctor Who reference. It surprised me that he was joking around like that, even in the only thing keeping me from laughing was the grief that was overtaking me. Remember, I just saw my friend's dying face. Most would be traumatized after something like that. "I don't have much time." Ryan said.

"Time? You're dead, what does time matter for you anymore?" I questioned him.

"No time to explain."

I sighed, "What's all this time business?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why do you care so much?" Wow. Sassy dead guy, over here. Wow.

I replied with a clever comment, much like one Willow would use. Actually, this is something Willow'd said to me a few days ago, but just this once, I was going to take credit for it. What harm could it do, anyways? "Don't answer my question with another question. That's avoiding my question."

"Time's running out." Ryan repeated, before disappearing into nothing, just as that ghost girl had previously. You see, this place was just... scary. I didn't know what to make of any of this, but I had a feeling that it wouldn't turn out good.

**Chapter Six: Willow's POV**

Sachiko seemed so much happier now that I was with her. I couldn't blame her- it must have been pretty scary without someone by her side! "...W-Willow?" She asked me. Something was wrong, I wondered what. "Yeah?" I asked, "What's wrong, Sachiko? You look upset."

"Can... can I call you my big sister?" She asked. Before I could reply, she went on, trying to explain herself. "I- I mean, because, well, you're all I have, and you really... care about me. Don't you...?" She asked me.

I smiled, of course she could call me whatever she wanted! "Of course you can!" I told her. She smiled and embraced me in another hug. But she made this one last longer... she didn't let go for a little while. And neither did I. We... we really needed each other. I don't know where I'd be without her.

"Can I call you Sachi?" I asked, referring to the common nickname for Sachiko. She smiled and nodded yes. For some odd reason, I seemed to have a strange connection with this little girl. I loved her.

_"Sachi is my pride and joy. She'd do anything for me. I don't even think she recognizes me anymore... but I still love her. With all my heart." _I heard a motherly voice say that phrase in my mind. I could (I'm not kidding. It was kind of freaky) kind of hear pain in the voice, though. You know how when you lose something- or one of your friends, more specifically, and you can just hear it in their tone? You just know something's... wrong. Very wrong. Well, this was somehow like that. The voice of a stranger echoed in my mind... it was almost tormenting, though. Someone was talking about my Sachi. "Don't even think she recognizes me anymore". Who could this be? "Love her". "Pride and joy". "All my heart." "She'd do anything for me!" "Love her" "Sachi is my pride" "Anything for me!" "All my heart..." "Sachi is my pride", "I still love her" "Pride and joy", "She'd so anything for me!" "Sachi..." "anything for me!" "Don't even think she recognizes me", "All my heart" "I still love her" "Sachi."

I heard the phrases repeat, over and over and over. It was constant, like the tick of the clock. Except the clocks don't move here...

"Big sister?" Sachiko asked me with a worried expression glued to her face, tugging lightly on my sleeve. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Mechanically, I whispered what was going through my head. I didn't mean to, it was against my own violation. "Sachi is my pride and joy. She'd do anything for me! I don't even think she recognizes me anymore- but I still love her. With all my heart." I whispered. The worry in Sachiko's eyes faded into grief. She seemed to recognize the words I was saying from somewhere. I was repeating it over and over, and I couldn't stop. Tears starting running down her eyes, "Stop it, big sister! I don't want to remember! Please, it hurts!" She begged, covering her ears in despair. And then I fell silent. I wrapped my arms around her in an embrace, "I'm sorry, Sachiko. I don't... I wasn't..." I didn't know what to say. _'I was saying this for no absolute reason and couldn't stop, I didn't mean to ignore your pleading?' _There was really no reasonable response.

She looked down, and buried her face in her hands, muffling the sound of her crying which she tried to silence. "Mommy..." She sobbed.

**Chapter Seven: Ryan's POV**

When I'd faded away from Shane, I reappeared in the dimension of the school Willow was in. I saw her hugging onto a crying child, with tears streaming down her own face. "Willow!" I exclaimed, running over to her. "I never thought I'd see you again!"

Willow jumped at my random appearance, and her eyes widened when she saw the state I was in. "R-Ryan...?" She asked. "I-Is it... is it really...you...?" She asked me with hopelessness in her eyes. The kid in her arms looked up at me with a little smirk. When Willow looked down at the little girl, she immediately went back to her "I'm a helpless cute little girl" face. Willow was definitely a sucker when it came to little kids. She would be a great parent someday...

"It's me." I assured her.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I... I don't believe you."

"W-Why not?" I asked her, concerned. Did I look different, apart from the glowing? Did I look scary? (To be honest, I almost wanted to smirk at the thought of being scary / intimidating to Willow, but I wouldn't admit that to myself. I managed to keep a straight face.)

She frowned at me, before looking to the little girl. "Can we please have some time alone?" She asked politely. The little girl nodded unsurely, before telling Willow she'd be in the classroom at the end of the hall. Willow then looked back up at me in horror, letting her fear shine through. I had to admit, I kind of liked it. I... I wanted to see more.

"Why don't you believe me?" I asked her again.

"Because I don't want to." She said. "I don't want to believe that this is what you've become."

"What I've become?" I asked her. What did she mean? Crazy?

"Dead." She said, looking me directly in the eyes. "I don't want to believe it."

I grinned slightly, "Well, what choice do you have?" I asked. She looked at me with so many emotions in her eyes, before saying, "Why are you smiling?". She was dead serious.

I knew why, but I didn't know how she'd react. "Because I'm in control." I said confidently. I didn't even know if she understood what I meant... but I wasn't in the mood to go explaining.

She took a step back, showing a sign of fear. But she spoke with such confidence, "You aren't who you used to be, Ryan." She said. I took a step forward, expecting her to back down, to cower before me. But instead, the girl (who was much shorter than I was, since I'm above average, and she's just barely under.) stood up straight and barely got up on her toes so that she was almost at my height. I grinned, and let her keep talking. "You used to be sweet." She said, as I started to pace around her in circles, trying harder to intimidate her. "You used to be kind." She went on, "You used to be perfect. Where did my Ryan go?"

I paused for a second at hearing her say "my Ryan"... was I really becoming someone else? "Say it again." I ordered her. "What you called me."

"Or what?" She said, giving me a cold stare and a scowl.

My smirk didn't fade, instead, it intensified, "You think you can intimidate me?" I asked her, not stopping my rhythmical pacing around her, not once taking my eyes off of her. "I'm dead. You can't hurt me." I said, before I quickly dashed behind her, grabbing her tightly by the waist. "But _I _can hurt you." I said, breathing on her neck. I could feel her tense up.

"Don't you dare touch her." Someone said. Jess?! What an idiot!

**Chapter Eight: Jess's POV**

If he so much as laid another finger on her, I'd give him a piece of my mind. That random burst of confidence was back, and stronger than ever. I wasn't letting him go down without a fight unless he let her go. Now. Because I'd made a promise to myself that I would be Willow's savior. Her knight in shining armor. At least, if I lost to the ghost of my ex- friend, I would die a hero. And though nobody was watching, Willow was. So maybe I could be a hero, at least in her eyes... no. I don't care anymore, whether or not she feels that way. I'm going to save her anyway! Willow's what's kept me going this whole time, and I'm not going to let myself fall now! No matter what, I was going to save my best friend. And not to earn her love, but to save her.

Ryan, still holding onto Willow, pulled out a knife. Where the hell did he get that stuff?! When he saw the surprise in my expression, he said, "Found it on a corpse. It was just so... nice looking- I couldn't just walk away." He admitted. This was her chance. Willow took a chance at this moment that Ryan was distracted, barely turning herself around and elbowing him hard in the ribs, and kneeing him in the crotch, forcing him to jump back. She then did something she'd never done before... something she was doing for the first time. She cowered behind me... Willow was usually pretty strong, I knew that. Sure, she had some "insecure" moments or whatever, but I'd never seen her truly afraid. We'd been to horror movies, and she'd never so much as jump at the freaky pop-ups on the screen. Every Halloween she was the one scaring people, and sometimes had to hold her sister's hand to get her to go in.

I stared daggers at Ryan, "You're a monster."

He just grinned. What had this guy turned into?! We used to be friends... And Willow used to like him! But Ryan just kept that filthy little smirk on his face, "You think I don't know what I've become?" He asked me. Now that stumped me, but before I could get to thinking, he started laughing quietly. "You think I can't still take her away from you?" He asked, refocusing his glare at Willow.

I defensively stood in front of her. I was about to fight against an armed ghost. But if it would save Willow, it was okay. "Don't you dare," I warned him. He practically threw me aside, before pushing Willow up against a wall. I got up from where I had been pushed down and tried my best to fight off Ryan. Before long, I realized that I had no chance. But Willow did. "Willow, RUN!" I ordered her, as Ryan drew his knife closer and closer to my right eye. Willow stared at me, before she ran into the classroom at the end of the hall. That was probably the dumbest decision I'd ever seen her make. Why would she go into a classroom?! It would be a hundred times easier to find her, corner her, kill her. I was starting to panic.

**Chapter Nine: Willow's POV**

"Sachi, we have to get out of here. Now." I said the second the door shut behind me, but she was nowhere in sight. "...Sachi? Sachiko?!" I asked, panicking. I'd come in here to get her, to save her, but she was... she was gone! Did she run off on her own?! Was she taken by someone?! What if she was in danger?!

I then saw her curled up in a ball under a desk. She looked terrified, "Big sister, did he hurt you?" She asked.

I saw how worried she was, so I walked over to the little desk she was huddled under. "No, I'm okay." I promised. "Why are you hiding down there?"

"I was scared that maybe you got hurt, and I didn't want the scary ghost to get me." She said with honesty in her eyes. I hated to see her so... so scared. It really broke my heart! I wrapped my arms around her to reassure her that I was alright, and that she would be too. "Sachi, we need to get out of this room. If Ryan comes back, we'll be in big trouble. Okay? Can you run?" I asked.

She nodded her head no. "I think I twisted my ankle,"

Sachiko wasn't very big at all, and plus; she was only seven. Small for her age. I had a seven year old little brother, and he wasn't _that _small. Sachiko would be easy to carry, if she'd let me. "Sachiko... if we don't get out of here-" I began, but she interrupted me. "Big sister, I'll try if it means that much to you. I don't want to let you down. You've been so... so kind to me this whole time. I've been alone for so long. But... you should just go." She insisted.

My eyes widened at the very thought of leaving Sachi behind. "No!" I said, tightening my hug a little. "I'm not leaving you, I swear."

"T-Then what are we going to do?" She asked, with a look of despair returning to her eyes, but I could also see a tint of hope. I then asked her, "Would it be okay for me to carry you?"

"Uh-huh." She said.

So I got her up on my back, the easiest way to carry her while running, and then slipped out the door and ran off as fast as I could. Sachiko was holding on tight, I could just barely feel her fingertips digging into my skin. I couldn't blame her, though. "Where do we go?!" I asked, not quite sure where I was off to.

But Sachiko'd been dead for a long time now, with her spirit roaming these halls. She knew where to go, and I trusted her to give me proper guidance. "That way!" She declared, pointing down a hallway which was unusually dark and... creepy. As much as I wanted to tell her I was too scared, I still had to get us away. But that wasn't the worst thing going through my mind, it was what was going to happen to my best friend, Jess. I knelt down to the ground, and put Sachiko down so she could stand up. "Sachi, I want you to run somewhere safe. Okay? I'll find you as soon as I can. But... but I need to save Jess." I said.

Tears were welling up in her eyes, "B-but..." she stuttered, not seeming to know what to say.

I embraced her in a tight hug, "I'm sorry."

"But what if you can't find me?!" She asked, beginning to panic. "What if we never see each other again?!"

I didn't know what to reply, what I could possibly say to comfort her. "...Take this." I said, unhooking the necklace I always wore and handing it to her, closing her hand around the silver heart locket. It was a present from my dad on my sixth birthday. The following night, he passed away. Ever since I kept a picture of him in there to remember him. I'd never taken off that necklace once, not even to shower or sleep. It was all I had left of him.

It was enough to convince her that I wouldn't try to abandon her, so she told me where she was going. "I'll be hiding in the principal's office." She promised, before running off.

So I turned around, ready to head back and save Jess. But I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw piano wire strung all over the hall. How was I supposed to manage to get through the hall? I decided to turn around, but then saw that the same wire was behind me. I was trapped. The wire was thin and hard to see, I wondered how sharp it was. So I made a stupid decision- I traced my fingers along the edge of the wire, leaving a clean line of blood on my fingers. I winced in pain and reflexively jumped back, forcing me into the wire. I could feel my back getting wet from the blood, which was already starting to pour. The cuts were so deep... I could seriously already see black in the corners of my eyes. I was starting to black out...! But no, I made a promise to Sachi! I would come back to her- I can't just... leave her. I can't die now and abandon her! And I couldn't just disappear without at least trying to save Jess, either! And I hadn't even found Shane yet!

I heard a blood curdling scream. I knew it was Jess...! But what could I do?! I could barely move as I fell to my knees, but something (adrenaline, maybe?) gave me the strength to get back up. I practically had to drag myself along the floor to avoid the wires, splintering my hands from the wood. But I didn't care. I was saving Jess. I had to.

But when I saw him next, it was nearly too late. He already had blood streaming down his face from his eye being stabbed, and a large gash in his left arm. A single tear fell from my eye, before more and more began to flow. I was hopeless.

**Chapter Ten: Shane's POV**

I heard screaming, crying, all around my. I could see the shadows of my friends, still moving right before my eyes. But how the hell was I supposed to "appease ghosts" or some sh** like that, when I had no idea what that meant! To be honest, I wasn't sure what the word "appease" even meant!

But it seemed like I had to figure it out, and I only had a matter of seconds... because, standing right there behind me, was a ghost. A little girl with one of her eyes stabbed out... holding a pair of scissors. "Cohme ann pway..." (Come and play) She muttered, stumbling towards me. The way she talked was like she wasn't using her tongue whatsoever, somehow in her speech. And then, I realized... she had no tongue.

I jumped back, and (stupidly enough) backed into a corner. I literally just let her corner me. I had nowhere to run to. It was all over... and then the room started to shake. Everything went black, and before I knew it, I was unconscious.

**Chapter Eleven: Yuki's POV**

I wish I had self-control. But... ever since what happened to me, I would just... lose it. Without any warning. Even after I was appeased, sometimes I would randomly turn back to a vengeful spirit, killing and harming others without mercy. And as much as I hated it, I had no choice. Ever since the day of my murder, this was who I was now. But when I realized what I was doing, cornering this poor boy... I just... stopped. The spaces wouldn't allow me to have this freedom for long, though. I had to hurry and return him to his friends' world. So I welled up all my strength, and clamped my eyes shut. Before anybody knew it (in any of the dimensions), the building started shaking. Everything went black, and this "Shane" boy was returned to his friends.

At this short moment, I had the ability to show mercy. But soon, in a matter of moments, I would no longer be able to. I was proud that I was at least able to do that much. Maybe- just _maybe _... I'd saved someone's life.

**Chapter Twelve: Jess's POV**

And there was Willow, bleeding out, yet still staggering towards me with all the strength she had left. Crying, in so much pain, but still coming for me.

But then... someone else appeared. Shane. Where did he come from!?

Shane looked up at me, then down to Willow, and back to me, to Ryan, and looked like he might pass out.

This at least distracted Ryan, "So someone else's joined the Corpse Party (_Ha-ha, yeah, I really wanted to be able to say that line somewhere in here. Sorry for the pun LOL) _?" He asked with a sly grin, "Wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun!" He said, letting go of me. Out of breath, I dropped to the floor. Ryan, on the other hand, seemed overly energetic as he swiftly dashed over to Shane, ready to stab. But somehow, Shane managed to dodge the attack, making Ryan stab his knife into the wall behind him instead. Ryan tried to yank his knife out from the wall a few times before realizing it was too far stuck in there. Shane looked to me, (I was rushing to Willow's side, she was so... unfocused, staring at the ceiling with broken breathing. But still breathing, with a beating heart, nonetheless) and asked, "What the hell happened to her?!" Before rushing along to me and Willow. Well, for starters, thanks for being concerned about my bloody eye and stab wounds. But Willow _was _more important, in both of our eyes. So I couldn't blame him. "P-Piano wire." Was all I could manage to say, pointing the other way. I couldn't even form a full sentence. Wow.

Shane seemed to be directing his anger towards me, but I didn't mind. I couldn't blame him (once again), because who honestly could in this situation? "Words." He said angrily, "Jess, use your words, dumb***!" He shouted.

"There-There's piano wire strung e-everywhere, it cut h-h-her up." I said, panicking.

"And you didn't even try and save her?!"

Willow choked up blood, turning her head to the side so it would land on the floor instead of in her face. She was holing back her tears again. I hated how she felt that she had to be strong (meaning not cry. I obviously wanted her to live, of course, but the fact that she wouldn't allow herself to cry...) in this moment.

I, on the other hand, was letting the tears run. "Manly" or not, I didn't care. My friend was dying, and I was sure as hell in a lot of pain, too. How was I not dying yet?! No, keep focus, Jess. I told myself that in my head, trying to make sure I didn't let my mind drift off too far. I had to save Willow. "Willow, can you hear me?" I asked.

Shane has gotten her lying on her back, so Willow was looking directly up at the ceiling. She didn't move her gaze from the ceiling, but she managed to talk. She barely moved her mouth and sounded very quiet, but we could still hear what she was saying. "Take care of Sachi for me." She said, and her voice cracked.

"Sachi?! Who the hell is Sachi?!" Shane asked angrily. But I saw something different. Her silver heart shaped locket was gone. "W-Willow, where's your necklace?" I asked her. Did she lose it? I'd never once not seen her wear it, though. "I gave it to Sachi. It was my promise-" She began, but then started choking up blood again. A single tear fell from her eye, when she said, "I don't want to die."

It broke my heart to see this. She was dying. And she was scared. My very own best friend, the girl I was in love with. Dying in front of my face, crying. "It'll be okay," I said. I knew it wouldn't be, but what else could I say to her? I wanted her to die at peace. I didn't want her to be worrying. But... I don't know if there was much left I could do. I'd lost my chance to be her hero.

"Tell Sachiko I'm sorry..." She whimpered, as her breathing slowed down. Shane slammed his fist against the wall, and rested his head against it in anger. I wasn't sure, but I thought that maybe, just maybe, he was crying too. "Dammit," He said with a shaky voice, confirming that he was crying. He then turned around with glassy eyes, and began to shout, "Why couldn't we save her?! WHY?!"

"S-Shane, she's still alive!" I said. I knew it, she was breathing.

The tears began to fall from Shane's eyes, "But we've already lost her," He cried. "There's no hope! Not a chance!"

What the hell was he doing?! I didn't want Willow to hear all of this. "Shut up, Shane. Just... Just shut up." I said, before turning back to Willow and pressing my lips against hers. "Willow, I love you. And I will love you forever. We're going to get out of this hellhole together, okay? And when we get home, we'll get ice cream and see a movie, okay? Just stay with me." I pleaded... She looked up at me, "I... I love... I love you. Please. Make it out of here. Do it... for me... Jess..." She said as her eyes slowly shut, never to open again.

**Chapter Thirteen: Yuki's POV**

Yes. I had saved the life of one innocent boy, only for the life of another person to be taken from them... NO! I... "AH!" I exclaimed in pain, feeling that horrible side of me returning. The person who'd kill without mercy, the one who'd do whatever she pleased, saving the regret and pain for me. And before I knew it, I was-

"He-he-he..." I giggled mischievously, standing in the corner of the room of the two crying boys. "Welcome to Heavenly Host Elementary School." I whispered, before disappearing into the darkness. Oh, how I loved to see new victims to come play with me!

**Chapter Fourteen: Ryan's POV**

So what she was dead? I would've killed her anyways. And this was still my doing- yet I wasn't satisfied. Not until I'd wrung the life out of every living being's worthless, weak little bodies in this entire school. Not like it'd matter to anyone else, of course! They'd all just die anyways. I was just... making the process go along quicker, that's all. Ending their miserable lives. And I got a good laugh out of it anyways.

This... wasn't me. How long had I been doing this? How long had this madness been... me? I... I... I just couldn't bear it. I thought that ending my life would make it easier, but... I still felt the pain. I'd always feel the pain. Because when you die here... you feel the pain of death... forever.

**Chapter Fifteen: Jess's POV**

I sat there, next to Willow's corpse. My name was her last word.

And then, my "little brother" appeared. "Jess!" He cried.

Shane knocked the kid down, "Who the f*** are you?!"

I stopped Shane in worry for the kid. "Stop, stop! He's my brother, Shane!" I cried out. Shane looked at me like I was crazy. And maybe I was for believing the kid when he told me we were brothers, but... well, what choice did I have? It was impossible to judge whether or not to believe _any _of what was happening around us.

"B-Brother?! Jess, are you blind?!"

That almost sounded like a pun (well, a demented, horrible one...), referring to how the kid had no eyes. I almost wanted to say "No, but he is"... but I knew better.

Instead, I said, "Shane. Please, there's no way of knowing what's true or not in this place, but... he has proof." I said, "Show him the picture, Jeremy." I said.

Wait a second. The kid never told me his name... I just... knew it. More proof!

And then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. How was it doing that? I took it out, flipped it open (yeah, I know. outdated. shut up), and looked to see a message on my screen. From WILLOW.

_"Jess. Don't trust the kid. He IS your brother. But you CANNOT trust him." _

"W-W-What the...?" I asked, staring at my phone in horror. Shane snatched it from my hands and read it with wide eyes. Then I looked back at Jeremy, who had an annoyed, angry scowl glued to his face. He yanked the phone from Shane's hands and shouted, "Don't believe her!" Without even looking at the message.

I cautiously stepped back, unsure of what was to come.

**Chapter Sixteen: Sachiko's POV**

Darn. I actually liked that Willow girl, I was planning to keep her around longer, as my "big sister" to play a while more. Well, time to get rid of those other boys... I knew just what to do! I clicked the locket around my neck, and peeked my head around the corner. "Jess, over here!" I cried. He looked over to me, and just before the ghost boy got him, he dashed over towards me, followed by Shane. I had them in my grasp- now I had to earn their trust. "This way!" I urged them, and they followed. I wasn't going to let them escape out of here alive. I'd kill them before they had the chance...But, I had to admit. It was quite a bit of fun to watch them earn your trust first, because they suffer even more in the end.

After a while of making them run, promising we'd be safe, I brought them to the Custodian's closet. That sure was a sticky lock for the door... he-he... After the door shut behind us, I looked at them innocently as they leaned against walls panting, before sitting on the floor. "W-Who are you?" One asked.

"My name's Sachiko."

**Chapter Seventeen: Shane's POV**

"S-Sachiko?" Jess asked, dumbfounded. "Y-Y-Y-You have her necklace- the-the lock-locket!"

"Uh-huh." The little girl replied, twiddling it in her fingers lightly and looking at us innocently. But I could see through it. It was all a lie. Some sort of a trap, maybe? Then her expression changed to sadness, it was such an obvious mask. "It was my big sister's. She promised me she'd come back... but... well, you saw." She said, with a tear slipping out of her eye.

Quite the actress, I must say.

"W-Willow gave it to you?!" Jess asked. Oh, so this was what she meant by it was a promise to "Sachi" that she'd come back or something? Okay, things were tying together now.

"Big sister promised to come back," Sachiko cried, "This was how she proved to me that she wouldn't abandon me." She said.

At the mere mention of Willow's name, Jess broke down in tears once again. "Willow," he whispered over and over. I guess he was starting to crack under the pressure of all this.

Sachiko then eerily began giggling. "He-he-he-he-he... I've been holding up that act for far too long now. I'm just gonna get to the point," She said, revealing her true colors.

"I knew it!" I shouted childishly.

"Congratulations!" She replied sarcastically, "You can be the first do die then!" She said with a creepy grin, "...as a prize."

And before I knew it, I was both burning hot and freezing cold. Itchy, tingly sensations were shooting through my body. My breathing was quickening, and then stopping. My heart was racing, and then silent. What was going on?! I was... I was... I was DYING!

**Chapter Eighteen: Yuki's POV**

I was me again. Somehow, I was me. The real me. The true me. And the second I heard that boy (Shane)'s screaming, I knew I had to do something, whether or not the closed spaces would allow me. I'd have to try!

Willow's ghost appeared next to me, "I want to help you." She said. And so off we went, on our way to save the day. For once, I could be the hero, not the bad-guy. For once, not everyone had to suffer. For once... someone could escape. But we were too late. All that was left was poor Jess, alive but near catatonic, curled up in a ball in the custodian's closet. Alone. Well, apart from Shane's ghost, but he couldn't be seen.

And since to escape this hellish place you need at least two people... Jess was out of hope. And his mind was most likely too full of insane thoughts, he was too far gone to be saved.

**Chapter Nineteen: Jess's POV**

Willow.

Willow, I love you.

Willow, I miss you.

Willow, I'm sorry.

So why don't you come back to me...?

Why do you remain in my thoughts... always. But you never come for me. Why?

Willow.

Willow, I need you.

Willow, I love you.

Willow... please. I'm begging you.

Forgive me.

Willow...

**Chapter Twenty: Yoshie's POV**

My dearest Sachiko, my pride and joy. My lovely daughter, who which I was parted with on that horrible day.

She kills now. She used to do it for me. but now she does it for fun. But I love her. I want her to come back to me. I miss her.

Sachiko is not a bad girl. But... she's done some bad things. More than any living person, she's killed. More than any person with their right mind, she's tormented. But... that doesn't mean there's not goodness left in her heart. I love her, and I always will. Don't forget me, Sachiko.

...But that would be a miracle.

And miracles don't happen.


End file.
